


The Reluctant Elf

by Liz_87



Category: Casualty (TV)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-05
Updated: 2020-06-05
Packaged: 2021-03-03 22:56:04
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,013
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24553504
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Liz_87/pseuds/Liz_87
Summary: Santa needs help from a special elf... Series 14.
Relationships: Lisa "Duffy" Duffin/Charlie Fairhead
Kudos: 1





	The Reluctant Elf

Duffy was sat flicking through a magazine in the staffroom when all of a sudden Charlie burst through the door. "Ah there you are! I need a favour..."

She glanced up briefly and then did a quick double take as her brain registered the fact that Charlie was stood in the staffroom doorway dressed as Santa. "What the...?" She began, attempting to contain her laughter.

"Its for the children's ward. Chloe was supposed to be the elf but she's gone home poorly so I was wondering..?" He held up the costume towards her.

"No! No way Charlie!" She replied quickly before he could finish the question.

"Think of the kids Duffy! Their little faces..!"

"No!" 

"It'll only take an hour or so. It'll be fun." 

"Get one of the other nurses to do it. Tina maybe?" She sighed as he pouted at her. "I'll look like an idiot!" 

He threw the costume down next to her. "We can look like idiots together." He grinned. 

She tentatively picked up the costume and examined it. "It won't fit me anyway." 

"I know you're a bit taller than Chloe but I'm sure it'll be fine. Just try it on."

"I'm not just taller, I'm also 15 years older than Chloe." She grumbled, holding up the shorts to the costume with a look of disgust on her face.

Without thinking, Charlie spoke again. "I don't know what you're worried about, you've got fantastic legs."

She blushed and looked down into her lap, fiddling with the material between her fingers.

Charlie suddenly realised what he'd said. "Its true." He whispered. Clearing his throat, his voice returned to its normal volume. "I wouldn't ask if it wasn't important. Please Duffy."

Duffy sighed dramatically. "Oh alright, I'll do it but you owe me big time for this Fairhead!" She remarked as she pushed past him to go get changed.

-x-

Fifteen minutes later, Duffy stood peering at herself in the mirror above the sink in the ladies toilet. How had her day come to this? She'd been slightly surprised that the costume had fit though she was still unimpressed by just how much of her thighs were on display thanks to the shorts. She sighed. Best get this over with. She turned and strode out of the toilets to rejoin Charlie in the staffroom.

Charlie looked up as he heard the door open. It was a Merry Christmas indeed! Duffy stood scowling at him from the doorway, her hands on her hips, dressed in the elf costume.

"Oh I really hate you Charlie Fairhead!"

He laughed. "No you don't." He stood up. "Right my little elf, time to go deliver some presents."

She trailed behind him as they walked across reception towards the lift desperately trying to ignore the cat calls and comments of her colleagues as she did. Imagining the various ways she could kill Charlie gave her a pleasing distraction however.

-x-

Visiting the children's ward had actually turned out to be more fun than she'd imagined. The children's faces had lit up upon seeing Charlie enter dressed as Santa. Since becoming a father he'd gotten a lot better at dealing with kids so she hadn't had to rescue him like she would have maybe had to in the past.

Giving one last wave to the children they left the ward and headed back down the corridor towards the lift. Once they were out of sight, Charlie pulled the beard down from his face. He looked across at Duffy and saw the grin on her face.

"See I told you it would be fun!"

"OK I admit I did enjoy myself. I think little Sarah took a bit of a shine to you!" She teased him, nudging his arm.

"Yeh she's a sweet kid. Must be rubbish being stuck in hospital over Christmas but her little smile never faltered."

A sad look crossed Duffy's face. "Yeh I couldn't imagine what it's like for the parents either. If it was one of my boys..."

Charlie placed his arm around her shoulders and gave her a gentle squeeze. "Doesn't bare thinking about does it?"

As they reached the lift, Charlie pressed the button and Duffy gave herself a mental shake. "Time we headed back downstairs and got out of these ridiculous clothes so we can finish our shifts and actually see our own kids."

The lift doors opened and they stepped inside. The lift travelled about two floors down before coming to a juddering stop between floors causing both of them to stumble slightly. Charlie pressed the emergency button but nothing happened. He looked over at Duffy and shrugged.

"Oh please tell me this is some kind of joke!" She exclaimed.

"Is this a bad time to mention that last time this lift broke down it took almost two hours to fix?"

Duffy threw up her hands in disgust and sighed. "We should have taken the stairs. We wouldn't be in this predicament if we had."

Charlie pouted. "Am I really that bad a person to get stuck in a lift with Duffy? That's a tad harsh and unfair." He complained.

Her features softened. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean it like that. I just feel like an idiot dressed like this."

"And you think I don't feel stupid too?"

"Its alright for you, you're not parading round in an outfit designed for a 25 year old! Urgh! I feel like mutton dressed as lamb OK?!"

Charlie couldn't help the laugh that escaped him. Duffy gave him a dirty look in response. He cleared his throat. "Hardly! I think you look bloody gorgeous in that outfit and I bet most of the dads on the ward would agree with me." 

She blushed. "Charlie..." 

He held up his hands. "Alright, alright, I know I'm not supposed to say things like that anymore but it's true. You should have more confidence." 

An awkward silence hung in the air for a couple of minutes. Charlie noticed the look of confusion on Duffy's face as he went to sit on the floor. "Might as well get comfy, we could have a long wait." He made a big show of noticing something in his pocket as he sat down. "Seems like Santa almost forgot to hand out one last gift." He grinned and held out a small package towards her.

Charlie's grin widened as he saw the look of excitement that lit up Duffy's face as she took the gift from him. He adored the child-like wonder with which she approached such things, it was in stark contrast to his own natural cynicism.

He laughed as she quickly tore the wrapping paper off and opened the box. He didn't think it possible for her eyes to get any wider but they did as she saw the gift he'd bought her. 

Duffy gasped and her hand went to her mouth as she looked inside the box. He'd bought her the most beautiful pair of diamond and pearl earrings. "I don't know what to say, they're... wow!" She stammered, her voice thick with emotion. "Thank you Charlie."

Feeling a little awkward, Charlie replied. "You're not going to cry are you? They're just earrings."

Duffy rolled her eyes and mumbled "idiot" as she sat down on the lift floor beside him. She lent over and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek. "You can be very sweet sometimes. Don't spoil it by opening your mouth and saying something stupid."

Charlie looked over at her shyly. "At the risk of being accused of saying something stupid again..." He chuckled at the look she gave him. "Although this isn't as nice as the last time we spent Christmas together, I can't think of anyone else I'd rather be stuck in a broken down lift with on Christmas day."

"There's a compliment in there somewhere, it may take me a while to find it though." 

Charlie pouted dramatically. "There's just no pleasing you is there?" 

She chuckled and shrugged. "Probably not."

Turning suddenly serious, Charlie looked into her eyes. "I'm not going to give up trying though."

He broke eye contact and looked down at his hands as he saw her face go as red as the top she was wearing. Yet again he'd gone too far, said too much, and he cursed himself for it. Neither spoke for a couple of minutes until Duffy finally broke the silence. "I have a present for you too. Its downstairs in my locker."

"Its not festive pants again is it?" Charlie laughed.

"Cheeky! I did actually buy you a proper present too that year."

"You did indeed. You gave me quite a few gifts that Christmas."

"Charlie..." She warned but there was a smile on her face.

"Care for a repeat performance?" Charlie asked, giving her a devilish grin as he pulled a sprig of mistletoe from his pocket.

Duffy gave him a sideways glare. "Charlie..!"

"Duffy... You know what happens when you glare at me like that..!" He complained, squirming slightly.

She tried to hold the glare but she burst out laughing. She laid her head back against the wall of the lift.

Charlie stared at the wall opposite him as he tried to calm his raging hormones. After 14 years she really shouldn't still be having this effect on him but she did. He pulled at the collar of his jacket. Being stuck in the lift with her was making him very warm indeed! He risked glancing over at her out the corner of his eye. She was shivering slightly though she was trying her best to hide it. He slipped off his jacket and held it out to her. "I think you need this more than I do."

Duffy smiled and took the jacket from him. She slipped it on and snuggled into the warm fabric, the smell of his aftershave flooding her senses.

A few minutes later Duffy looked across at Charlie and noticed he was rubbing his hands together. She began to take his jacket off. "Here, you can have it back."

"No its OK, I don't want you getting cold again."

An idea struck Duffy. "Maybe we could drape it around both of us if we sat a bit closer?" She suggested, moving towards him and attempting the idea. They quickly realised the jacket wasn't wide enough.

Charlie let his eyes wander around the lift as he contemplated how to keep them both warm with the one jacket. He spotted the padding he had been wearing under the jacket to appear more Santa-like. If the jacket was able to wrap around that... He turned to Duffy nervously. "Um... How about if you sat in front of me, that way the jacket should wrap around both of us?"

Duffy raised an eyebrow at him. "You're suggesting I sit in your lap?" She asked, a hint of awkward amusement in her voice.

Charlie blushed. "Well, erm, not exactly in my lap, no, I could, well, move my legs to give you room..." He shrugged nervously. As she went to sit down he shifted his legs repeatedly trying to work out the best way to sit until he heard her sigh and place a hand on each of his thighs and moved his legs til one was either side of her. She then sat down facing away from him. He sucked in a breath as he felt her bottom wiggle against him as she made herself comfortable. He draped the jacket over them both and then panicked slightly as he wasn't sure what the hell to do with his hands.

Duffy took hold of the collar of the jacket and attempted to snuggle into it again. She struggled to get comfy. Sighing, she tilted her head to look at Charlie. "I can't get comfy." She pouted. "Can I have a cuddle?"

Charlie moved his arms and placed them stiffly around her. He felt her quickly melt into his embrace, resting her head back on his chest. He realised she wasn't planning to move so he allowed his arms to relax around her. As his arms came to rest around her waist he heard her let out a contented sigh. He looked down at her, curiosity written all over his features. Feeling his eyes on her she looked up and met his gaze. "I've missed this." She whispered, a soft smile on her lips. Their gazes locked and Charlie found himself being drawn towards her. He dipped his head and their lips met in a gentle kiss.

The kiss was brief and as they parted Charlie moved back to see Duffy's reaction, his eyes full of questions. She smiled as she ran her thumb across his bottom lip. Her smile began to falter. "This is wrong." She told him, but the firmness in her voice sounded hollow even in her own ears.

"So very wrong." Charlie whispered in agreement but neither of them could resist as their lips met once more. This time there was no hesitancy between them, this was familiar territory to them both. Twisting around fully, Duffy knelt in front of Charlie. He wove his fingers into her hair and she wrapped her arms around his neck as they kissed with increasing passion.

Charlie's jacket lay all but forgotten in a crumpled pile on the floor as Duffy pushed his braces down from his shoulders. One of his hands untangled itself from her hair and ran down the length of her body, pulling her closer to him. He trailed kisses along her jaw and whispered in her ear. "Isn't it about time you were a good girl and sat in Santa's lap?"

She smirked. "Maybe, but it's much more fun for both of us when I'm naughty." She giggled as she moved to straddle her legs around him. Charlie ran his hands up her thighs, his eyes widening as he realised just how far he was able to get before reaching the edge of her shorts. Duffy's eyes followed the line of his gaze. "See I told you they were too bloody short!"

Charlie laughed. "Trust me, you're the only one who's complaining about that." He pondered for a moment. "But if they're really upsetting you that much then you're welcome to take them off."

She pulled away from him, stood up and lent against the opposite wall of the lift, her arms folded across her chest. Shit! He cursed himself. He'd opened his big mouth and blown it. Just as things were getting interesting too. He laid his head back against the wall of the lift and closed his eyes. The wait to be rescued was going to be torturous stuck in a confined space with her in a sulk whilst he tried to quell the hard on she'd caused him.

He opened his eyes once more as he heard her clear her throat. He looked up at her and was surprised to see she was smirking. She lowered her hands and moved them to the top of her shorts. Without breaking eye contact with him she slowly opened each button before sliding the shorts down her legs and over her boots to the floor. He swallowed hard and could feel beads of sweat forming on his brow. "You seem a little hot over there Charlie, maybe you're a tad overdressed for the occasion." She suggested, her voice sounding sweetly innocent but there was no mistaking the fire in her eyes.

Charlie scrambled to get off the floor, momentarily forgetting that Duffy had removed his braces. He was quickly reminded though when his trousers fell down as he stood up. He scowled as Duffy burst into fits of laughter. "Its not funny, you did that on purpose Duffy!" He complained.

She gasped in fake shock at the accusation before giggling again. "Elves are supposed to be naughty Charlie."

He strode quickly across the lift and pinned her against the wall, his body pressed flush against hers as he kissed her again. She was briefly taken aback by his swift actions but was quickly distracted by his finger running along the edge of her knickers. "I'm done playing games." He grunted in her ear. She moaned as he stroked her with his fingers. He grinned with satisfaction. "Seems I'm not the only one, let's get you out of these damp knickers, shall we?" He suggested, sliding them down her thighs and then throwing them to join her shorts on the floor. She pulled down his boxers and ran her hand along his length, biting her bottom lip in anticipation.

Charlie tiptoed his fingers along her thigh, feeling her skin form goosebumps underneath his touch. As he reached her knee he lifted her leg and draped it over his hip. She gasped as he entered her swiftly, shifting slightly til they were both comfortable. It had been a while since they'd last been intimate so she wasn't as used to the feel of him as she once had been. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to hurt you." He whispered. 

She cupped his cheek with her hand. "Mmm, it's OK, I knew you were bigger than..." She trailed off and her eyes widened as she realised what she had been about to reveal. Charlie raised his eyebrow at her in confusion. That look was swiftly replaced with a smug grin as the realisation dawned on him. 

"Charlie..." She said sternly. 

His cock twitched in response to her tone. The smirk that appeared on her face told him that she knew exactly the effect she had on him when she spoke like that. He felt the heel of her boot dig into his bottom impatiently. He thrust his hips forward and gave her a questioning look. Her eyes sparkled with mischief and she smiled before capturing his lips with hers.

Duffy clutched at Charlie's shoulders as he thrust deeply into her. A muffled moan escaped her lips as his teeth grazed the skin inside her collarbone followed by his tongue. A shiver of pleasure went through her entire body as she recalled the things he could do with that tongue. She struggled to contain her moans of pleasure as he quickened his pace. He grunted as he felt her fingernails dig into his shoulders. "Let yourself go gorgeous, I want to hear how much you're enjoying this." He whispered into her ear before biting her earlobe. 

Charlie pulled away from Duffy, causing her to whimper. He grabbed her leg and lifted it to join the other one around his waist. This allowed him to thrust even deeper inside her, as he did so she let out a loud moan. "Oh fuck, Charlie! Mmm!"

Encouraged, he quickened his pace causing her to scream louder and more incoherently. Before long his thrusts became more erratic as he reached his peak. The sensation of his orgasm triggered hers. "Charlieeee!" She screamed.

Charlie slumped against Duffy, both of them utterly spent. It took a few moments for Duffy to realise that the lift had started to move again. She pushed her hands against Charlie's shoulders. Panic filled her voice as she spoke. "Shit! Oh fuck Charlie. The lift!"

He stumbled backwards, confusion filling his face. He watched her snatch their clothes from the floor and throw his trousers at him and he pulled them on absentmindedly. "Bugger! Oh hell, fuck!" She swore repeatedly as she tried to pull her clothes back on as quickly as possible. Her shorts briefly got caught on the heel of her boot. He felt helpless, he didn't know what to do. This was all his fault! His heart was hammering in his chest, maybe this was what it felt like to have a heart attack.

Duffy fastened the last button on the shorts just as the lift pinged to indicate it had reached the ground floor. She let out a breath and tried to look calm despite feeling anything but. 

The doors opened and they found themselves face to face with Max. "Something wrong with the lift?" He joked with a raised eyebrow.

"Um... Yeh... It, err, stalled." Duffy stammered.

Max was puzzled by her reaction, she seemed very flustered. Her cheeks were flushed and he swore her lipstick appeared to be slightly smudged. As he glanced over at Charlie everything suddenly made sense. There was no mistaking the smear of lipstick next to his lower lip. He frowned as they exited the lift and walked past him, clearly trying to act casual.

As they reached the door to the staffroom they both stopped. Duffy looked down at her feet awkwardly, the atmosphere between them was tense. She heard Charlie inhale, preparing to speak. Before he had chance to utter a word, she spoke quickly. "I should get changed, I'll, um, see you later." She turned on her heel and practically ran to the ladies toilets.

-x-

Duffy stood in front of her open locker as she prepared to head home. Her gaze wandered to the box containing the earrings Charlie had given her earlier. She couldn't decide whether she should leave them in her locker or risk taking them home and having to explain to Andrew where they'd come from. Her thoughts were interrupted by the sound of the door opening. Glancing towards it she saw Charlie enter. She'd managed to avoid him since their assignation in the lift but now there was nowhere to hide. Before she had chance to say anything Charlie spoke.

"I was hoping you'd still be here. You owe me."

He tried to contain it but was quickly unable to stop the laughter that escaped him at the utter confusion that filled Duffy's face.

"You said you had a Christmas present for me." He reminded her. He sniggered once more at the glare she gave him as she turned back towards her locker.

"I'm not so sure you've deserved it Charlie." She replied as she reached into her locker.

Edging closer, Charlie whispered in her ear. "Oh I think I've been very good, unlike some I could name..."

"Charlie..." She cautioned as she felt his hand come to rest on her bottom.

He turned his best puppy dog eyes on her. "I promise to be good."

She silently cursed him as felt herself giving in. She never could resist him for long. Taking hold of his gift she handed it to him.

He looked at the small rectangular box in his hand, turning it over before giving it a light shake.

Duffy chuckled. "You could just open it Charlie."

He opened the wrapping slowly, grinning as he saw out of the corner of his eye that she was struggling to contain her excitement and anticipation of his reaction. Opening the case revealed a shiny black pen with gold edging. He noticed the name of the company on the inside of the lid. He looked at her in shock. "This must have cost you an absolute fortune Duffy!"

"Hopefully you won't chew the end of this one like you do all those disgusting looking old biros on your desk!"

He laughed. "I'll try my best not to. Seriously though, it's a wonderful gift. Thank you." He hesitated for a second before leaning towards her. He'd fully intended to kiss her cheek but she turned to face him so he ended up catching her lips with his instead. The kiss lasted several seconds before they both remembered where they were and broke apart shyly. 

Duffy turned away from him, closed her locker and threw the key into her handbag. She couldn't quite meet his eye as she mumbled. "I have to go home now." 

"Yeh, of course. I hope you enjoy the rest of your day with the boys." 

She smiled brightly and began to walk towards the door. She hesitated before turning and pulling him into a hug. "Merry Christmas Charlie." She whispered in his ear before stepping back and quickly leaving the room. 

Charlie watched her retreating figure through the window. He touched his fingers to his lips, smiled and whispered sadly. "Merry Christmas."


End file.
